Wheeled carrier for boats



Jan. 2, 1968 E. D. M RAE WHEELED CARRIER FOR BOATS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 7, 1966 mm M v mDa m [m n w E 7 l nm Jan. 2, 1968 McRAE 3,361,441

WHEELED CARRIER FOR BOATS Filed June 7, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "Warren v EDWARD D- McRAE United States Patent Ofiice 3,361,441 Patented Jan. 2, 1968 3,361,441 WHEELED CARRIER FOR BOATS Edward D. McRae, 851 Westview Crescent, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Fiied June 7, 1966, Ser. No. 555,878 3 Claims. (Cl. 230-4732) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wheeled carrier for boats having a wheel provided supporting post connectable to a boat and on which an angularly adjustable boat supporting platform is secured.

This invention relates to devices for facilitating the manual handling of small boats, particularly of the car top type between the water and the car.

In the handling of car top type boats where the boat is fairly small, one man may load or unload the boat from the car. However, if the car is parked some distance from the water, even the smallest boats due to their unwieldly shape and size, make their transportation over the land extremely difiicult for one man.

It is appreciated that lightweight detachable boat dollies and the like have been designed in order to overcome this problem. However, such devices have in the past been relatively expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, such devices are fairly cumbersome and their method of attachment to the boat has quite often led to their falling ofi into the water when the occupant of the boat has attempted to secure it in position while the boat is in the water.

The present invention provides a device of this nature which is relatively easy to make, and therefore relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is relatively easy to apply to the boat while the latter is in the water without fear of it falling into the water and becoming lost.

The present invention comprises an elongated supporting post for extending in a vertical position outwardly across the outer surface of the transom of a boat, a platform extending laterally from the supporting post and arranged to extend beneath and in engagement with the bottom of the boat, a carrying wheel at the lower end of the supporting post, and a U-shaped clamp at the upper end of the supporting post releasably engageable with the upper edge of the transom.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention,

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a portion of the stern of a boat with one embodiment of the device of the invention attached,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional side view of the stern of the boat, illustrating the embodiment of FIGURE 1 attached,

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of the embodiment of the device of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is an isometric View of another embodiment of the device.

Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 thereof, the embodhnent of the device is illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 as attached to the transom 11 of a boat 12, the latter being shown having a skeg 13 and gudgeons 14 on which a rudder may be hung.

The device it comprises an elongated supporting post 15 which may be formed of a strong buoyant material, such as wood, and which may be formed of a section of flat board having a substantial width. This supporting post is, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, arranged to extend in a vertical position across the outer surface of the transom 11. The post is bifurcated at its lower end 16 to freely receive a carrier wheel 17, the latter being rotatably mounted on a transverse shaft 18, said shaft being secured as by U-bolt 19 extending through the post 15 at said lower end 16.

A supporting platform 22 is secured to the supporting post 15 immediately above the carrier wheel 17. This platform may be of wooden construction and is U-shaped having a pair of wide legs 23 and a base 24. The platform is secured by means of angle brackets 25 and bolts 27 to the post width the free ends of the legs 23 extending laterally away from said post. Above the platform, the supporting post 15 has formed centrally therein a vertically elongated opening 29.

A U-shaped clamp 3'3 is secured in an inverted position at the upper end of the supporting post by a bolt 31, said clamp having a pressure screw 33 at the free end of one of its legs 35. This clamp is so arranged that the pressure screw may be threadedly extended towards or away from the supporting post 15.

The device It! is positioned so as to extend in a vertical position centrally across the outer surface of the transom 11 with the platform 22 extending beneath the bottom of the boat, and with the clamp 30 extending over the upper edge of the transom. The length of the supporting post therefore and the distance between the platform and clamp must correspond to the dimensions of the boat. Similarly, the angular relationship between the platform and supporting post must be the same as that between the transom and the bottom of the boat.

In order to apply the device to the boat, it is only necessary to hook the clamp 39 over the upper edge of the transom, then swing the supporting post downwardly against the transom so as to place the platform 22 beneath the bottom of the boat. The opening 29 of the supporting post will permit the gudgeons 14 to extend therethrough, and the spaced legs 23 of the platform 22 will lie on either side of the skeg so that the latter will prevent lateral movement of the device relative to the boat. The pressure screw 33 is then tightened down against the inside of the transom, thereby maintaining the device firmly affixed to the boat. If necessary, padding 37 may be inserted between the supporting post and the transom, and also between the pressure screw 33 and the transom so as to prevent marring of the latter.

The device 14; may be easily applied whether the boat is on land or on water and, in the latter case, the provision of the U-shaped clamp which is always engaged over the upper edge of the transom, will enable the device to be easily and quickly positioned without fear of loss.

FIGURE 4 illustrates another embodiment 40 of the device. In embodiment 4t) which also includes a support ing 41 similar to supporting post 15 and a platform 42 similar to platform 22, and having spaced apart legs 44 and 45 extending from a base 47, platform 42 is hingedly secured to supporting post 41 by hinges 48. Extending from each of the legs 44 and 45 to the supporting post 41, are adjustably extensible struts 49 and 5% respectively. These struts are of identical construction and, referring to strut 49, it will be seen that the latter is comprised of a pair of hinges 51 and 52, hinge 51 having a short leg 53 and a long leg 54, and hinge 52 having a short leg 56 and a long leg 57. The short leg 53 of binge 51 is secured as by screws to leg 44 of platform 42, and the short leg 56 of hinge 52 is similarly secured to the supporting post 41. The long legs 54 and 57 of each of the hinges 51 and 52 extend towards and overlap each other, the overlapping ends thereof being slidably embraced by a clamp 69 having a pressure thumb screw 61. With the above construction, thumb screw 61 may be loosened to permit the long legs 54 and 57 of the hinges 51 and 52, respectively, to slide relative to each other so as to permit the platform to be swingably moved to a position wherein the angle between the platform 42 and 41 will correspond exactly to the angle between the transom a and bottom of the boat. The screw 51 may then be tightened down to bind these long legs together, thereby fixedly securing the platform at a desired angular relationship to the supporting post 41.

It will be understood that strut 5 will be adjusted in the same manner and concurrent with strut 4-9.

What I claim as my invention:

1. Boat carrying apparatus comprising an elongated supporting post for extending in a vertical position outwardly of and across the outer surface of the transom of a boat, a platform hingedly connected to the post for vertical swinging movement, adjustable means for supporting the platform at positions of varied angular relationship relative to the supporting post so as to permit said platform to be arranged in a position in which it extends beneath and in supporting engagement with the bottom of the boat, a carrying wheel at the lower end of the supporting post, and a clamp at the upper end of the supporting post releasably engageable with the upper edge of the transom.

2. Boat carrying which the platform apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in is U-shaped having a pair of spaced apart legs adapted when the apparatus is positioned in a carrying position relative to, the heat to extend longitudinally of the boat on opposite sides of the center line of the latter so as to straddle the boat skegi 3. Boat carrying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said adjustable means comprises an elongated strut formed of a pair of relatively extensible posts pivot ally secured at one end to the platform and at the other end to the supporting post, and means releasably binding said extensible posts against relative movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,422,930 6/1947 Rutledge 9-l 2,551,040 5/1951 Newell.

2,578,376 12/1951 Smith 280-47.32 2,632,655 3/1953 King et a1. 280-4732 2,709,084 5/1955 Nagaishi 280-4732 3,093,396 6/1963 Case.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner. 

